I have been keeping tanks for some time now and planted tanks have been my favorite.
It is recently that I decided to go all out for a Hitech planted tank.
As I live in a remote area arranging for items required for a planted tank is not easy.
It took me nearly 6-7 months to arrange for all items with some wrong purchases also.
Finally after some experiments with a small tank I decided to set up my 45 g tank.
As this was my first hitech tank, the concentration is on have the plants growing healthy and not much aquascaping is attempted.
The details of tank are
Tank size: 45g ( 36x18x18”)
Substrate: ADA aquasoil
Lights: 190 w of CFL
Pressurised Co2 with reactor
Filter: Eheim 2224
Fauna: Rams initially, currently mollies & black widow tetra
Fertilizers: Stock solutions of K, No2, Phosphates, Seachem trace, Fe gluconate, EI method
Water Changes -50% weekly
Plants: Mainly Hygrophylla speices, Red Ammania, Dwarf saggitaria, marseila, getting plants for me was a big headache, many of them are gifts from Friends.

Day of setup: 25:03:2012
Finally managed to get everything together, and set up the tank.
Put on co2, lights, filter etc.
This is snap someday after planting.
Please ignore the quality of pictures, glass is dirty and some of them were taken with mobile

After one month:
It is often said that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong.
After a month, the tank was covered with all types of algae, somedays it was hard to know if the leaves were dead or covered with algae.

After a lot of analysis and help from many friends I identified many causes and set up to correct them

Reason 1 – Fluctuating CO2, this was a very big reason.

To save funds I had purchased a single stage regulator, this resulted in dump of co2 as cylinder was getting towards empty, killed all my rams and I was now without any fish in the tank.
Also the flow would change suddenly without any reason.
I decided to scrap the existing regulator and purchased a new double stage regulator.
Earlier I was also unable to get a needle value, finally managed to purchase one online

Reason 2- Water quality

My source water has a TDS of 1200, GH, 29, KH 19, ph >8, this was resulting in a lot of algae even after co2 levels stabilized.
I started mixing 50% Ro water which bought down my water parameters to more saner levels

Reason 3- Absence of algae eater:

Although I did not realize earlier but they are very important in a planted tank.
Getting shrimps in not easy in remote places so on advice from Madan I bought mollies, and did a great job it eating up all algae.
Now I feed them lightly, once in 2 days and they eat up all my algae.
There may have been other reasons but I could not identify them.

However by above methods at least algae was gone, water did not have scum floating on top, plants were visible gain, and tank began to have at least some semblance of a planted tank

That's a lot of changes in the tank. I could see considerable amount of changes in the tank. The lush green plants in the last pic's shows how your tank have turned. I dont see any visible algae in your tank now.

I agree to all your points mentioned. I would say "reason 1" the main culprit of the algae. I am unable to agree the "reason 2". As the water hardness does not have relation to the algae growth. Experts please correct me if I am wrong. As far as I know that the algae does not have any relation to the algae growth.

With consistent CO2, light and ferts, you could have a tank with no algae.

I agree to all your points mentioned. I would say "reason 1" the main culprit of the algae. I am unable to agree the "reason 2". As the water hardness does not have relation to the algae growth. Experts please correct me if I am wrong. As far as I know that the algae does not have any relation to the algae growth.

My reasoning for problems with very hard water
(a) When you have very hard water, often a large amount of silicates are present in your water.
Silicates are responsible for diatom blooms.
(b) Mg(Magnesium) in my tank is 75 ppm, this high amount of Mg interferes with uptake of other nutrients, plant growth suffers and algae is able to take hold.

My reasoning for problems with very hard water
(a) When you have very hard water, often a large amount of silicates are present in your water.
Silicates are responsible for diatom blooms.
(b) Mg(Magnesium) in my tank is 75 ppm, this high amount of Mg interferes with uptake of other nutrients, plant growth suffers and algae is able to take hold.

Sandeep, its an interesting point you have mentioned. I found that some websites mentioning that the permissible level for Mg for a planted tank is 2-5ppm. Also it has been mentioned that the plant growth is good if the proper Ca:Mg ratio is maintained. Do you have any information that you have gathered on what should be the permissible level of Ca and Mg in a water for the proper plant growth?

And I agree to your point on Silicates. Silicates are found more in ground water and not usually seen in the tap water. I think I should check what is the parameter of the water that I have in my home. Would possibly give the water for testing very soon.

Hi Sandeep
Finally your patience and diligence bore fruit and now you have a lush tank ..Congrats
One thing I have noticed in your posts is your measurement of different water parameters.
Can you pls guide us on how to measure of different minerals in your tank.
Offlate my tank is facing slight problem of BBA and green brush algae which I am not able to conrtol.
Regards
Sanjay Dubey

Post no8 of this thread gives all water parameters.
I don't think you need to check all those water parameters.
BBA is often a result of fluctuating Co2, I also had bba in my tank, if you look at the second picture.
Stable co2 often cures it.
There is one another parameter which we often overlook, in trying to keep algae away we keep very low phosphate levels.
It took a great deal of courage on my part at least to increase phosphates, but it actually helps in keeping alage away.

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